Commentary: It's easy to see the problem of abuse as a lack of effective rules to root out bad actors. But I suggest that we take a medical metaphor for our lead. What's going on in the organism of the church?
NCR Connections: The bishops, collectively at least, also have a history of blaming the media, most notably when journalists uncovered sexual abuse of children and the related coverup by bishops.
Commentary: The McCarrick report trains a forensic lens on the religious monarchy's secrecy-addled system of promotions and justice. For journalists, the document is a goldmine.
NCR Connections: As NCR editor, I can assure you that my job is to pursue the truth, not "sell the news." And in the journalistic ethical tradition, we protect sources from the powerful, not the powerful themselves.